Capacity-Building Needs of Counsellors Interacting with Underachievers in Secondary Schools in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the capacity-building needs of school councellors interacting with underachievers in secondary schools. Two research questions were answered in the study. The study was conducted in public secondary schools in Anambra State using descriptive survey research design. The population for this study comprised all the 257 counsellors in the 257 public secondary schools in Anambra State while the sample for the study comprised 193 (one hundred and ninety-three) counsellors selected through proportionate random sampling technique. The researchers developed the instrument which was used for data collection. Three experts validated the instrument. The reliability of the instrument was determined using Cronbach alpha on data collected from a sample of 30 counsellors from 30 secondary schools in Enugu State. The reliability coefficient for the instrument was 0.84. The researchers collected data with the help of six research assistants who are teachers in secondary schools in the State. Mean ratings and standard deviations were used to answer the research questions. Findings indicated that counsellors need capacity-building on monitoring academic progress of the underachievers in the school; they need capacity-building on instructional supervision for the underachievers to enable them improve the academic performance of the underachievers. It was therefore recommended among others that the counsellors should use inter-school counselling visitations to improve their counselling services for the underachievers in secondary schools.